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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28311420">Their Muse</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewayshedreamed/pseuds/thewayshedreamed'>thewayshedreamed</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas, MAAS Sarah J. - Works</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BroTP fluff, Brotp, F/M, Mentions of the Inner Circle (ACoTaR), Nesta/Azriel brotp - Freeform, POV Nesta Archeron, Prompt Fill, Tumblr Prompt, Winter Solstice</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:41:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,687</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28311420</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewayshedreamed/pseuds/thewayshedreamed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Written to fill the following prompt—</p>
<p>Nesta is a writer, Az is an artist and she gets him to help her make a comic book where Cassian is a super hero (no I didn't get the the idea from the office...okay I did).</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nesta Archeron &amp; Azriel, Nesta Archeron &amp; Cassian, Nesta Archeron/Azriel, Nesta Archeron/Cassian, Nesta/Azriel brotp</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Their Muse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Warning for some strong language.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>——————————————————————————</p>
</blockquote><p>Azriel studied Nesta with rapt attention as she described her outline for Cassian's Solstice gift. She had recruited Azriel to help with her brainchild, being only a broke, aspiring writer who was in the throes of graduate school. Cassian was a wonderful man who treated her like gold, loved her despite her stoic nature, and she resented the fact that she couldn't afford to gift him anything he could ever want.</p>
<p>Her boyfriend would never hold it against her, though. He always deflected her questions regarding his wish lists for birthdays or holidays. The man's token response was always something along the lines of: "I don't need anything, Sweetheart. As long as I spend the day with you and my family, that's all I need."</p>
<p>That wasn't an option. Not to Nesta.</p>
<p>She had spent days ruminating over her inability to gift him anything worth his time until inspiration struck her. The small apartment she shared with her sisters had been near freezing, and the man had wrapped her snuggly in a blanket, pressing her tightly into his body as they watched a movie. In jest, she had affectionately referred to him as her "hero", and that's where her idea was born.</p>
<p>Azriel had been her first phone call the next morning, begging him to lend his talents to her project. He had accepted in seconds, followed by a gentle admonishment for assuming he would need to be convinced in the first place. Nesta was his best friend, after all, and Cassian was his brother in all but blood. Of course he would help her with her Solstice creation.</p>
<p>Several days later, Nesta was close to rambling through the outline of her story, unsure of what details she needed to include and what Azriel could refer to later when she provided him with the first draft. Her friend listened patiently as she navigated her proposed plot of an Illyrian General, one of the fiercest warriors in the history of his species. She described her concept around his powers; how he needed seven siphons to control the magnitude of those powers where other Illyrian soldiers needed only one. The General Commander in her story wore a large Illyrian blade down the column of his spine as his weapon of choice, poised between two large, membranous wings.</p>
<p>"I don't know how to explain my vision for them, but essentially, they need to be large enough that he could fly effectively," she explained, glancing up to see a smirk on Azriel's tan face. "What?"</p>
<p>"So, kind of like Batman?"</p>
<p>"Nothing like Batman, Az. Were you even listening to me?!"</p>
<p>A full smile replaced the smirk, his amusement entirely unwelcome. "You just described a man with giant bat wings who commits himself to defending people from the evils of the world. Forgive me for making the connection.”</p>
<p>Nesta swatted his bicep with her small, leather bound notebook. Azriel hissed at the sting, yanking it from her grip and holding it over his head.</p>
<p>“If you want this back, keep it to yourself.”</p>
<p>“Don’t patronize me, Azriel. Just give it back, or I’m writing you out of the story.”</p>
<p>“Wait; I’m in this? Where?” He lowered the book to thumb through the pages, curiosity getting the better of him. Suddenly he looked over to her, his expression showing grave concern. “Cauldron, I’m not Robin am I?”</p>
<p>Nesta rolled her eyes dramatically. “No, you’re not Robin. Because Cassian isn’t Batman, you ass. Give it back.”</p>
<p>Azriel must have been content with his current amount of teasing. He handed over her notebook and pulled a chair out from the table to sit. His sketchbook was already in front of him, and he flipped quickly to a blank page.</p>
<p>“Let me see if I can get some rough sketches down to be sure the proportions are what you’re imagining. Then, I want to hear about what you wrote about me.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” she agreed, her irritation with her friend already forgotten. She knew he was likely only teasing her to ease her nerves anyway, so it was easy to let it all go. “Do you want me to send you the reference pictures I have for Cass? They’re some of my favorites that I compiled.”</p>
<p>Azriel never looked up from the book in front of him, his hand dragging lightly across the page as he worked the proportions of Cassian’s build. His brow was drawn together in concentration, and despite the grave look on his face, there was no irritation in his gravelly voice. “Are you really offering me reference pictures of the man I shared a room with the majority of my life?” His hand fell away from the page, his head angled to assess what he had drawn up to that point.</p>
<p>“Nope,” she replied, popping the “p” for emphasis.</p>
<p>Nesta oriented her attention to her notebook, reading over what she already had down and making small edits to her outline. The urge to watch as Azriel dragged his pencil across the paper almost made her turn to him, but he always flustered under the attention. It took a long time for him to reveal to her that he got self-conscious when anyone watched him draw, the potential of any focus on his hands too distracting. She tried telling him that he was the only one who focused so narrowly on his scars. When he had fought her on it, she told him that regardless of how he perceived their garishness, they were capable of creating the most beautiful things. Azriel had only huffed at that, but she’d seen the appreciation in her friend’s eyes at her reassurance.</p>
<p>Minutes passed before Azriel set his pencil on the table and slid his sketchbook in her direction. Cassian’s form was no more than lines and basic shapes, but there was a definite outline around his proposal for the wings. They were massive, the tops peaking above Cassian’s head and the bottoms covering his calves.</p>
<p>“Now, just look at size. I haven’t considered design or detail yet.”</p>
<p>“Az,” she breathed. “They’re perfect. What are you thinking in terms of span? I’m not sure how wide they would need to be to sustain flight.”</p>
<p>“I’ll do some research, but I’m thinking pretty wide. Maybe around here?” He added tick marks on either side to demonstrate how far he imagined they would stretch.</p>
<p>“Yeah. Whatever you think. I trust you.”</p>
<p>“Good. Now I want to hear about my part.”</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>The pair worked tirelessly for weeks to bring the comic to life. One of the hardest parts of the whole thing was dodging Cassian enough to allow them ample time, but they had been able to recruit Rhysand to help distract him. When they weren’t able to get together, they sent edits back and forth via email or through their document drive with any necessary feedback. Azriel kept her updated with each design element as he created them, preferring not to finish several frames of the story only for Nesta to decide she hated their armor or some other detail.</p>
<p>Her friend was supremely talented. She’d known it far before she had recruited his help, but something about how he brought her ideas to life made her nearly emotional at each reveal. On top of raw skill, their friendship allowed him the perk of general intuition in terms of what he thought she may like. The two of them made a strong creative team.</p>
<p>Late nights turned into early mornings as Solstice approached. With that came a type of near-familial bickering over the almost finished product, fueled by sleep deprivation and the agitation brought along by copious amounts of coffee. Their exchanges were always brief and usually superficial in nature, meaning the pair rebounded quickly. For the most part, anyway.</p>
<p>“You’re hovering,” Azriel stated, his voice dry and gruff at the late hour.</p>
<p>“No, I’m not. I’m just... watching the creative process.”</p>
<p>“And hovering.”</p>
<p>Nesta huffed an impatient breath as she flopped into a nearby armchair. She threw her head back dramatically and trained her eyes on the ceiling.</p>
<p>“What if he thinks this is stupid?”</p>
<p>Azriel paused then, placing his instrument on the work desk and turning toward her.</p>
<p>“Nes,” he began, his tone softer. “Why would you say that?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know. I’ve been in my head the past couple of days. Maybe the idea of him being a superhero would seem stupid to an adult man.”</p>
<p>Azriel huffed a laugh as he walked over, kneeling before her chair and taking her hands in his. “Look at me.” She obeyed, albeit reluctantly. “Cassian is going to love and appreciate the time and dedication you’ve put into this. So much. And in some alternative universe where he doesn’t care about that, which is ridiculous, his ego will love that you’ve written him that way.” A smirk appeared on his face, his hazel eyes crinkled in jest at his brother’s expense.</p>
<p>Nesta let out a small laugh, realizing she hadn’t done so in days. The stress of the deadline had taken over, and she assumed she probably hadn’t been very pleasant to me around.</p>
<p>“I’ve been a terror, haven’t I?”</p>
<p>Azriel’s smile broadened, but his voice turned sardonic. “What do you mean? You’ve been a fucking delight.”</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Nesta’s nerves got the best of her on Solstice, causing her to withdraw into herself a little more than usual around their friends and family. Cassian sensed the difference and asked her several times if she was okay or needed to talk. After the third try, Nesta shot him a heated glare, and he promptly dropped it. Having observed each of the interactions, Azriel pulled her to the side to offer words of encouragement. When they didn’t seem to land, he used himself as a buffer until it was time to exchange gifts, keeping Cassian’s attention anywhere but on his girlfriend.</p>
<p>As usual, everyone exchanged gifts as a group. Initially, she had intended to reveal their work to Cassian with everyone so that he could share it if he wanted. Cowardice won out, changing her course of action.</p>
<p>“Hey,” she whispered from her spot next to him on the couch, “will go out on the balcony with me? For your gift?”</p>
<p>Her boyfriend’s eyes sparkled with mischief, his gaze scanning over her as he spoke.</p>
<p>“Yeah?” His voice turned nearly sensual. “I like the idea of a private gift.”</p>
<p>Nesta rolled her eyes, launching to her feet in impatience.</p>
<p>“Don’t get your hopes up. Az is going with us.” She shot a look Azriel’s way to ensure he overheard.</p>
<p>“Oh, Nes. I don’t have to—“</p>
<p>“Azriel. Is going with us.” She announced pointedly, her eye contact letting him know it hadn’t been optional. There was no way she could reveal this on her own. Her friend’s moral support was needed, and plus, he deserved credit for his contributions.</p>
<p>The three of them walked through the balcony doors. Concern radiated off of Cassian in waves at being pulled outside by two of the most important people in his life.</p>
<p>“Is this where you tell me you’re running off together?” he joked; a clear sign of false bravado.</p>
<p>“Ew. No.” Nesta’s response was immediate; as was Azriel’s, who only scrunched his face in disgust. “Your best friend and your girlfriend running away together would be considered a gift?”</p>
<p>“Gods, no,” Cassian scrambled, earning a small laugh from the pair. “I don’t know why I said that. This just feels oddly formal. Can we get on with it?”</p>
<p>Nesta gestured toward a small bench on the balcony to prompt Cassian to sit. She slid onto the bench next to him, the bound work wrapped neatly in bright red paper across her lap. Azriel positioned himself against the railing near them and leaned against it with his arms crossed.</p>
<p>“So, you know the struggles of grad school. I wanted to get something worthy of you, and I wracked my brain trying to come up with something. I eventually decided on this; that you should see you as I see you, as we all see you.” She cleared her throat, sliding the package over to him. “Go ahead. Open it.”</p>
<p>“Nes, you didn’t have to—“</p>
<p>“Cassian. I know. Just— please open it,” she insisted.</p>
<p>Her boyfriend obliged, tearing the paper delicately before turning the small book over in his hands. He read the title aloud.</p>
<p>“The General Commander and his High Lady.” He opened the cover, tracing his finger over the first page, then the second. Those pages told the history behind his character, the role he was to play.</p>
<p>“You don’t have to read it all now. It’s a little long.”</p>
<p>It was true. The story not only addressed Cassian’s origin, but it carried on through a mission where the General Commander and the Shadowsinger rescued the High Lady of Night from ill-intentioned members of the Autumn Court.</p>
<p>Wordlessly, Cassian continued to flip through the pages to sample what they had created. “You two did this?” His voice was quiet, amazed, as if he didn’t quite believe anyone would go through the trouble.</p>
<p>His friends, his <em>family</em>, only nodded in response. His eyes danced between the two of them before returning to the pages, almost in reverence.</p>
<p>“Do you like it?” Nesta asked, unable to care about the insecurity in her voice.</p>
<p>Cassian’s attention snapped to hers, brows furrowed. “Like it? Nesta, this is incredible. I can’t believe you two did all of this for me.”</p>
<p>“This is all Nesta’s brainchild. I just drew the pictures. The vision was all her,” Azriel bragged, but Nesta wasn’t content to let him downplay his tireless work.</p>
<p>“Whatever, Az. Look at this. The work you put into this is... amazing, really. I couldn’t have done it without you. No one else could have made it come to life like you did.”</p>
<p>Emotion tightened her throat. Azriel offered her a look of appreciation before turning his attention back on his brother.</p>
<p>“Seriously, I can’t believe this. I can’t wait to dive into the story. Dude,” he said suddenly, his attention shifting entirely to Azriel, “you’ve outdone yourself.”</p>
<p>“Bah,” he deflected, but Nesta knew his downcast eyes meant he was a little embarrassed by the praise. He had never been great at accepting a compliment.</p>
<p>“Did you really have to flex so hard on the shadows? You’re kind of stealing my thunder,” Cassian teased, saving his brother from the tension.</p>
<p>“Look, I just drew it how Nesta wrote it. Take that up with her.”</p>
<p>When Azriel laughed, Cassian eyes slid between their two characters, dissecting something Nesta couldn’t guess.</p>
<p>“Wait— are your wings bigger than mine?!” he demanded incredulously.</p>
<p>“No,”Azriel assured him, “it’s just the angle of that scene.”</p>
<p>Unconvinced, Cassian flipped to a few others to assess. Nesta couldn’t help the eye roll at his expense.</p>
<p>“They’re definitely bigger!”</p>
<p>Az stepped forward to grab the book from his brother, comparing several scenes as he considered.</p>
<p>“Hm,” he hummed nonchalantly. “I don’t see it, but if so, barely.”</p>
<p>Nesta snatched the book away from her friend. “Enough. Don’t ruin a good thing with this competitive bullshit,” she scolded, capturing their attention instantly.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, Sweetheart,” her boyfriend apologized. “I didn’t mean to be ungrateful. I love it. Seriously, it’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten in my life.”</p>
<p>She softened at the earnestness in his voice, falling against him as he wrapped her in a hug. Az made eye contact over Cassian’s shoulder, his expression the equivalent of <em>I told you so.</em> Nesta squeezed Cassian in return, his breath ghosting over her ear as he continued.</p>
<p>“I mean, who wouldn’t want to be seen as a superhero? Babe, it’s like I’m Batman, only way cooler.”</p>
<p>Az’s hand lifted to his mouth in a poor attempt to hide his amusement, the sparkle in his hazel eyes being the dead giveaway of his self-satisfaction. Cauldron, what Nesta would have given to throttle him in that moment.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” she agreed, never looking away from her best friend as she spoke. Azriel’s expression morphed into confusion at her easy agreement.</p>
<p>“And Azriel is your Robin.”</p>
<p> </p>
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